Where to holiday next?

Dear Money-savers,

Mr Money here. My post today is more lifestyle-oriented which differs somewhat from the usual finance related updates written by me. It is however a topic I’ve wanted to share some insights on for sometime.

We travel quite a bit in work. During our first year together, our holidaying exceeded what was the norm for myself. It covered South America, Europe, South East Asia and several local holidays. The holiday budget for that year exceeded RM60,000 which we both felt was too high for a couple without kids. After that first year together, we set a yearly budget of RM30,000 which was based on one continental trip, one regional trip and trips within Malaysia.

Valle de Cocora was one of the highlights in Colombia.

With our new yearly budget, we have tried to plan trips well in advance. Unfortunately, strategically booking tickets during sales or well in advance to minimize travel and accommodation cost was never really adhered to. Despite us knowing this fact, we still seldom book tickets early. We however aim to do it but our careers have not allowed us to plan that far ahead.

Travelling within Malaysia has really opened both of our eyes on how incredible this country is. We started with this during our first years but have continued to book more local trips over foreign trips. Malaysia has so much to offer and we still feel that there is so much left to explore. The weak MYR exchange rate compounded with carbon footprints and flight shaming have further strengthened this belief.

The weakened MYR since 2015 has further fuelled our domestic travels

Our trips in Malaysia have varied and encompassed luxurious resorts to home-stays, physical activity trips to weekend city discovery trips. The budgets for trips within Malaysia also vary greatly, our trip to Pangkor Laut was around RM7,000 whereas a weekend in Klang RM1,500 but both equally as enjoyable. I can really recommend the (free) Royal Klang Town Heritage Walk if you have an opportunity to visit.

The wonderful Sea Villas at the luxurious private island, Pangkor Laut

Climbing Mt Kinabalu was high up on my todo list. The pinnacle feels like a different planet.

Adeline Villa & Rest House in Gopeng has it all. Proximity to serene nature, activities and incredible food. Just the food alone is worth the trip..

We have started to plan our trips for 2020. One of my favourite cities in Malaysia, Kuching is on the list.

Do you have any travel and budget planning tips to share?